Shobhita Thakur’s debut short ‘Khilawadi’ wins audience choice

Director Shobhita Thakur’s debut short film Khilawadi is drawing attention after winning top honors at the FascinAsian Film Festival last month.

The film premiered at the festival in May. It took home the Audience Choice Award at the Calgary leg and the Best Short Film award at the Edmonton leg.

Khilawadi opens with 12-year-old Sapna standing outside a primary health centre, watching a lady doctor through a window. That quiet glance captures her aspirations to pursue medicine. But the story also explores how the collective identity and expectations of her community stand between Sapna and those dreams.

Through the child’s perspective, Thakur examines aspiration, identity, and the barriers young girls face in conservative settings — all told in the compact format of a short film.

With the dual wins at FascinAsian, Khilawadi marks a strong festival debut for Thakur and spotlights regional stories centered on girls’ ambitions.